Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I hope you all recognize that as the First Amendment. It's come under scrutiny in Green Bay, WI recently as City Hall was displaying a Nativity scene. The display has now added a Wiccan symbol, and just three days ago, the City of Green Bay voted to keep the Nativity display.
Now, as I understand the First Amendment, it means that Congress cannot make laws that establish a national religion, and it also cannot make laws that prohibit the free practice of religion.
With the City Hall display, I do see why they should not only display a Nativity scene. But, what if at the beginning of Hanukkah, a menorah was displayed? What if Kwanzaa symbols were displayed at the beginning of that holiday? Or Pagan symbols displayed on the solstices? Or Islamic displays during Ramadan? To me, displaying symbols of multiple religions is neither establishing a national religion nor inhibiting the free practice of any given religion.
The First Amendment has too often lately been used to completely eliminate religion from our country. It's "freedom OF religion", not "freedom FROM religion." And that means that the state can respect multiple beliefs without favoring one over the other.
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